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PNS Daily Newscast - March 21, 2019

The nation’s acting Defense Secretary is under investigation for promoting Boeing, his former employer. Also on the Thursday rundown: The Trump administration’s spending blueprint being called a “bully budget.” Plus, a call for the feds to protect consumers from abusive lenders.

As Head Start director with Clinton County Community Action, Carol Erdman says the program builds a strong foundation for a child's education. She adds that they also can help identify children who may have special needs and would benefit from early intervention.

"We immediately get hold of public schools and work in conjunction with them to get all the help that they need, to hopefully start them on the road to success, regardless of what their special need is."

Head Start is a federally funded program for low-income children from birth to age 5 that began in 1965. In Ohio, more than 47,000 children were enrolled in 2011.

Jessica Hurst, assistant Head Start director for Akron Summit Community Action, says parents play an important role by continuing the learning at home. She says her agency offers a variety of options to accommodate families' needs.

"We have part-day preschool option; we have full-day for families that are working and going to school, as well as early Head Start, working primarily with the children zero to 3; as well as a home-based option."

According to the National Head Start Association, children in the program are significantly more likely to complete high school and attend college than are their siblings who did not attend. That's why Erdman and others say it's critical to keep Head Start programs strong.

"We need to keep that in place and not jeopardize it. We always have a waiting list, but this year we have a waiting list of 40 or 50 kids - and we can't serve 'em. I need money to expand my program so that I can serve more children."

About 70 percent of Head Start programs are run by community action agencies.